Hello everyone, I hope someone can help, My son who is 14yrs old, has IBS. He has just recovered?

from a flare up and was taking Prednisone. Oh was that awful. The mood swings and depression he experienced was to much to bare. My question is what alternative medicine do docs prescribe for flare-ups? instead of prednisone. I appreciate your help.

Responses (5)

ive had ibs since puberty sometimes significant and have never taken prednisone which is usually prescribed for crohns disease which is totally different. please try to clarify your sons diagnosis as soon as possible and if it is truly (i hate to say"Just ibs"for it has cause me much pain) but it is not a functional disorder for example a colonoscopy or sm bowel study wont show structural changes as in chrohns disease. I've tried many things(im 55 now) and the helpful things were gluten free diet dairy free diet but drug wise a smooth muscle relaxant such as donnatol and librax as soon as symptoms start provided normalization within a few days. I have an anatomical deep bend in my lower colon that i believe contributes but the librax helps that. Search "sensitive gut" for more info. if your son has not had a colonoscopy and your dr.

is prescribing prednisone- question him, or get a new one. at 14 prednisone should not be the answer because of the serious side effects. IBS may be a life long irritant that can be controlled in at least one or a combination of more benign tx than prednisone. God bless you, and there is hope. In addition if it is crohns he's not treating it correctly. Find yourself a board certified, highly recommended gastroenterologist for sane treatment of either of these disorders. I hope this helps.

Thanks for responding. Well that's the troubling thing, his dr. has commented that he's not sure if it is crohn's. He's had three colonoscopy's and they say it could be either crohn's or ICD. I changed docs and this is what this new doc is telling me, it could just be IBS. I'm at my wits end and they are treating him with drugs for Crohns for Gods sake. This is so frustrating.

I tend to agree Angielee, the one area where you can take control yourself is in his diet. He won't like it much especially at 14 years but a gluten free diet no dairy products at all. I once worked with a fellow who eventually found out what you now know he went through 'L' until we managed to get him to the doctor. His diagnosis came in about a 3 weeks he literally ate it up once he knew whaat the problem was. Best of luck, Cush.

Thanks for responding. I do watch his diet , they say he can't absorb nutrients properly, so I watch the fat content , bad fat anyway, and other things. One member suggested a gluten free diet and I just may try it. Thanks again.

Hi:I've had IBS since my twenties and it is not fun; however, even though I had the Celiac Disease blood test and it came back negative, I've since learned that you can still be 'sensitive' to gluten, even if you are not 'allergic' to it!I find that I just really feel better when I don't eat wheat products or dairy.

As an aside, I found one brand of ice cream made from goat's milk (I know, that doesn't sound good!) that is super creamy and I think tastes great!It is called LaLoo's (not sure that is correct spelling), and I've gotten it at Whole Foods and also health food stores. It IS expensive, I've paid up to $6.00 for a pint, but their Dark Chocolate flavor is to die for!!!

I also found a couple of brands of bread that are gluten free and (to me) still taste good: udi's Gluten Free Foods, WHOLE GRAIN BREAD, www.glutenfree.com and another one made from Rice. I don't have this one in my fridge right now, so would have to get back to you with the name.Many times, you can find these products in the freezer section of your regular grocery store (usually with the other 'health' foods). If not, Whole Foods carries most of them.

***I'm sure everyone in the IBS group could pass on tips to you, if you want them.

Thanks for the tips. I think I will try a gluten free diet and see what happens, I know it can't hurt. The thing is, he is the pickiest eater and he really has a poor appetite. He says that it hurts his stomach when he eats. We have told the doc but they don't do anything.

I completely understand how he feels--- the only time I feel really 'good' is when my stomach is completely empty! Everyone tells me that I need to eat six small meals a day--- but they just don't understand--I'd spend all my time running to the bathroom with cramping and diarrhea if I ate that way!I finally found a G.I. doc who understands--and tells me to eat what agrees with me, and to forget all the 'rules' of various diets...

I have learned that I can eat the greasiest french fries with no problem (as long as I don't overdo it), but give me the smallest portion of mashed potatoes (which I used to LOVE to eat), and the mixture of milk and butter in them just sets me off! Food items that appear to be 'bland' and therefore should work for people like us sometimes react just the opposite, due to what they are made with. Just try to follow the old KISS formula--- "keep it simple, stupid!" (this is NOT a put-down--just what works for me). If your son really DOES have IBS, try to avoid packaged baked goods, with all kinds of unknown ingredients. If you are a label reader, you can try to buy items with the fewest ingredients in them--that way, if he reacts to something, it is easier to determine what is was.Alot of IBS sufferers can't eat raw veggies, they are just too gassy! BUT, if you cook them lightly, they can be OK. It your son does have a problem with dairy, try a butter substitute call GHEE. It IS butter, but with something removed from it--which is supposed to make it easier to digest. You will find it in the refrigerated section of health food stores--in comes in a jar.These are just suggestions, based upon what has worked for me.You need to first follow what his doctor tells you to do--- but if nothing works, then I don't see the problem with experimenting with various foods on your own. I think if you can show your son that certain foods will NOT hurt his tummy, he might be more open to eating them. It is just a very slow process, and you can't become discouraged along the way--for his sake.I'll hold good thoughts for you, and wish you much patience in this journey.Mary, the madhatter.

OOPS--- FORGOT TO TELL YOU--- if the doctors want your son on cortisone steroids, ASK them to use HYDROCORTISONE, either as the generic, or name brand of Cortef. It is the most natural form (and the cheapest!), but most docs don't recommend it, as the drug companies don't hold a Patent on it, so can't make lots of money off of it!***Dosage would be totally different from Prednisone or Dexamethasone--- so make sure if your doc writes an Rx for it that when you take it to the Pharmacist that you tell him/her what dose of Prednisone your son had been taking, and ask them if the dose on the new Hydrocortisone Rx equals it... PS: I have been on a 'therapeutic dose' of it for almost twenty years now (for an adrenal insufficiency--- NOT for IBS!), and have had no side effects (except for weight gain). The therapeutic dose for hydrocortisone is 30 mg. or less--- and there should be none of the other nasty side effects of taking a cortisone steroid, if you keep at or below this dose. Hope this helps,Mary, the madhatter.

Thanks! I will ask for that if they want to continue him on steroids. Its only when he has a flare up, that they prescribe them. But I hate the side effects. Like I was saying to the other member, the docs are not quite sure of his diagnosis, so they are treating him as if he has Crohns. This is so frustrating and I have changed docs to get a second opinion.

Any non steroid anti inflammatory is better for you than prednisone. Even though our bodies produce about 5-8mg naturally, this drug can really do a number on you systemically,and causes a host of other issues. Imuran is a non steroid that people really benefit from, methyltrexate is another one. I did not benefit from this (methyltrexate)but a large number of people do. If the inflammatory issue is severe and needs regular treatment, you should think about Humira or embril. I've been on Humira for a year and I've gone from 60 mg of prednisone to 20mg and have recently started imuran in hopes of stopping the prednisone completely. The prednisone has caused cateracts, twitching and I'm almost positive it's the cause of a thyroid tumor I developed. Humira is very expensive so you def need insurance. This medication also has some possible side affects and is an injection that us very painful. You give it to yourself every 2 wks. And has really helped me.$5000 a month though. God bless and good luck